Ukraine just lost every working power plant it has

So in under a week, Ukraine's grid has been hit from every direction, in different regions each time.

That's what makes this statement different. Zelensky isn't talking about regional blackouts anymore. He's saying there is no plant left that Russia hasn't touched.

Two days ago, Ukraine's energy ministry said even its nuclear power plants have had to cut generation because of Russian attacks. Nuclear plants are normally the most protected part of the whole grid.

Russia's Defence Ministry hasn't responded to Zelensky's statement. Russia's long-standing position is that these energy sites support Ukraine's military, which makes them lawful targets in its view.

Pedro Sánchez used the same summit to back Ukraine, saying Ukraine clearly deserved support in a war with an aggressor on one side and a victim on the other.

Zelensky also used the speech to raise something else. He said thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia, and he called for more international pressure on Moscow over it.

So how literal is every power plant? That's the part nobody can confirm.

Zelensky's own words leave room for anything from minor damage to total destruction. Nobody has published a plant-by-plant breakdown. Nobody knows if Ukraine can restore any capacity before winter hits. And nobody knows if this speech was really about unlocking emergency equipment from allies, or about building pressure for a ceasefire.

Winter in Ukraine means months of freezing temperatures. Heating runs on the same grid Zelensky says has now been hit everywhere.

That's why he wasn't asking for sympathy in Madrid. He was asking for generators and transformers. The actual parts needed to keep the lights on.